BIB-VERSION:: CS-TR-v2.0
          ID:: STAN//CSL-TR-93-596
       ENTRY:: November 02, 1994
ORGANIZATION:: Stanford University, Computer Systems Laboratory
       TITLE:: Models of Communication Latency in Shared Memory Multiprocessors
        TYPE:: Technical Report
      AUTHOR:: Byrd, Gregory T.
        DATE:: December 1993
       PAGES:: 16
    ABSTRACT:: We evaluate various mechanisms for data communication in
               large-scale shared memory multiprocessors. Data communication
               involves both data transmission and synchronization,
               resulting in the transfer of data between computational
               threads. We use simple analytical models to evaluate the
               communication latency for each of the mechanisms.

               The models show that efficient and opportunistic
               synchronization is the most important determinant of latency,
               followed by efficient transmission. Producer-initiated
               mechanisms, in which data is sent by its producer as it is
               produced, generally achieve lower latencies than
               consumer-initated mechanisms, in which data is retrieved as
               and when it is needed.
       NOTES:: [Adminitrivia V1/Prg/19941102]
         END:: STAN//CSL-TR-93-596